Most dogs enjoy chewing on things, although preferences vary as to the hardness of the substances favored. Some dogs like to chew on very hard materials such as cow bones, wood and nylon, while others prefer softer chews such as polyurethane or rubber. Some dogs due to their age may not be able to chew on very hard substances. Young dogs may have insufficiently developed teeth, while old dogs may have diseased gums or may have lost some of their teeth.
Furthermore, chew toys may be used as a vehicle to provide interaction between dogs and people. For example, some people like to play fetch with chew toys. The interaction between animals and their owners has reportedly been found to be not only beneficial to the animal, as it provides the animal with necessary exercise and companionship, but beneficial to their owners as well, with many reported health related benefits.
Accordingly, the prior art is replete with disclosures directed at forming a variety of chew toys. However, there is still a need to provide chew toys that fulfill other requirements. For example, it may also be useful to provide animal chews that are interesting not only to animals, but to the animal owners as well. Additionally, it may also be useful to provide animal chews that enhance the feel of the chew to the animal or owner. Accordingly, an animal toy of novel construction may be directed to sparking the interest of, not only the animal, but children, teenage or adult owners, which may increase the time period that owners engage with their animals.
More particularly, it may be preferred that chew toys have a reasonable durability and maintain the interest of the animal for more than one interaction. Further, it may be preferred that such chew toys comprise one or more polymer compositions such that a variety of chewing experiences may be provided for the animal. Towards that end, if different compositions having different physical properties, such as hardness or different attractant properties, can be combined into a single pet chew toy, the animal may prefer one of the compositions over the other and remain interested in the chew toy for a longer time period.